Total computer meltdown.

Quadlok · Post by **Quadlok** » 2006-06-26 04:28am

Might be better in venting, but I'll let someone qualified decide that.

Anyway, a couple days ago, I was minding my own business, playing some Freecell to kill time before work, when my machine suddenly bluescreened. Not thinking much of it, I let it reboot and tried to start up my various utilites and anti-virus software just in case. Immediately, shit starts trying to quit, but the system won't let it and won't error report and then dies again.

Repeat about three times. So I try safe mode, it spits gibberish at me and restarts. last known good cofiguration, I manage to get about a two minute session, but then it kicks me off after deciding that I'm running a bootleg OS (I'm not). I look at the BIOS, everything seems fine on that end. Try to run the restore utility off my XP install CD and it BSODs.

At this point I figure that my father, who's been using computers long enough he can remember logging onto ARPAnet, might have better luck, but he can't get the thing to do anything it didn't already. So we leave it be for a while (I had to go to work) and agree to reformat in the morning if he doesn't find a fix in the meantime.

So we try the reformat and it won't work. Five fucking times and always it won't install half the files and then BSODs. Finally he goes over the BIOS again with a fine toothed comb and notices that 'quick startup' (which disables some diagnostics) is enabled. Turn that off and now the startup screen says there's a memory error.

So now the case gets opened, we clean and reseat the RAM, tighten the screws on the hard drive, clean the DVD/CD drive, I even get around to moving one of the casefans for better airflow. Still nothing, and I'm pissed.

We've got several theories. The RAM could be bad, which seems likely since thats what the motherboard is telling us. The fact that a recent XP home update has been known to fuck up authentication and all sorts of fun stuff is a likely contributor. The drives could be off axis. The install CD could be bad. Maybe my stupid ass even managed to find a particularly virulent virus somehow. Knowing my luck, its probably all of the above.

At least everything's still under warranty.

Superman · Post by **Superman** » 2006-06-26 04:30am

Sounds like Skynet.

Natorgator · Post by **Natorgator** » 2006-06-26 07:54am

If you have more than one stick of memory, try removing one of them. If you only have one, I'd try replacing it and see if that works.

Jadetear · Post by **Jadetear** » 2006-06-27 08:42am

a couple of questions

do you have more than one computer in the house?

do you have more than one hard drive in the computer?

is there more than one stick of ram on the motherboard?

How old is it?

Vertigo1 · Post by **Vertigo1** » 2006-06-27 12:25pm

Did you by chance check your temperatures and voltage readings in your BIOS?

If you really want to see if your RAM is bad, if you only have one stick, download memtest86+. You can burn this to a CD-R (or RW) and boot off of it. I recommend you run ALL of the tests.

Quadlok · Post by **Quadlok** » 2006-06-27 03:43pm

Turns out it was a combination of one of the RAM sticks being bad and deciding to reveal itself right as a Windows official spyware (or whatever the fuck their euphemism for it is) update went online and decided it didn't like what it saw. Wierd stuff.

Einhander Sn0m4n · Post by **Einhander Sn0m4n** » 2006-06-27 06:20pm

For a bit there I thought it was a Bad Capacitor on your mobo finally deciding to let go...